The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In order to enrich the visual and audio enjoyment obtained from the Internet, at present, multiple webpage developers have employed such webpage plug-in using the networking multimedia object technique as the ActiveX plug-in and the like to make applications of Web more flexible and accesses to the Internet rapider and more convenient.
For the purpose of preventing insecurity factors from entering a local computer that a subscriber is using through the webpage plug-in, each webpage plug-in has a security certificate showing its own security. Taking the ActiveX plug-in as an example, the security certificate of ActiveX plug-in, issued after a special organization evaluates the security of ActiveX plug-in, is packed along with the ActiveX plug-in to be distributed. Only the ActiveX plug-in with a legal security certificate can be normally installed and run in the computer of a subscriber.
Referring to FIG. 1 and taking the ActiveX plug-in as an example, the existing method for selectively installing a webpage plug-in includes the following steps.
Steps 101˜102: an Internet Explorer (IE) control detects that there is an ActiveX plug-in in the webpage and then determines whether the Internet security strategy of a browser allows the ActiveX plug-in to be used. If the ActiveX plug-in is allowed to be used, Step 103 would be performed. Otherwise, the procedure of selectively installing the ActiveX plug-in is terminated.
Such browsers as the IE and the like all include an IE control for detecting whether there is an ActiveX plug-in. Thus, when a subscriber opens a webpage containing an ActiveX plug-in, the browser, through its own IE control, obtains information of the ActiveX plug-in contained in the webpage such as Global Unique Identifiers (GUID), Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of installation packet, and the like.
In order to facilitate the subscriber in configuring operations of the browser on the webpage plug-in and the script, the operating system used by the subscriber classifies the Internet security strategies of the browser as high, middle, middle-low, and low levels. Except the high level, other security levels all allow using a secure ActiveX plug-in. The method for determining whether the ActiveX plug-in is allowed to be used includes determining that the ActiveX plug-in is allowed to be used if the Internet security strategy of the browser is at the middle, middle-low, or low level and the security certificate of the ActiveX plug-in is legal; otherwise, determining that the ActiveX plug-in is not allowed to be used.
Steps 103˜104: determine whether the local computer has installed an identical ActiveX plug-in. If the local computer has installed an identical ActiveX plug-in, the procedure of selectively installing the plug-in is terminated. Otherwise, the ActiveX plug-in is downloaded to the local computer.
When there is the identical ActiveX plug-in installed in the local computer, it indicates that the local computer has finished installing and running the ActiveX plug-in and it is unnecessary to process the identical ActiveX plug-in again. When there is no identical ActiveX plug-in installed in the local computer, it indicates that the local computer has not installed and run the ActiveX plug-in and the ActiveX plug-in is downloaded for selectively installing the ActiveX plug-in in the follow-up process.
Steps 105˜107: determine whether to make a security warning according to the Internet security strategy of the browser. If it is determined to make a security warning, the subscriber is prompted through the security warning to choose whether to install the ActiveX plug-in. Then determine whether to install the ActiveX plug-in according to a choice of the subscriber; if it is determined to install the ActiveX plug-in, Step 108 would be performed; otherwise, the procedure of selectively installing the plug-in is terminated. If it is determined not to make a security warning, Step 108 is performed directly.
The security warning means providing such information as name and source of the ActiveX plug-in, organization issuing the security certificate, and the like for the subscriber and prompting the subscriber to choose whether to install the ActiveX plug-in. The method for determining whether to make a security warning includes determining to make a security warning if the Internet security strategy of the browser is at the middle or middle-low level, otherwise, determining not to make a security warning if the Internet security strategy of the browser is at the low level.
After the security warning is made, the subscriber determines whether to install the ActiveX plug-in according to his/her own need. If the subscriber chooses to install the ActiveX plug-in, proceed to perform the follow-up process, otherwise, terminate the procedure of selectively installing the plug-in as it is unnecessary to carry out any processing of the ActiveX plug-in.
Step 108: install the ActiveX plug-in in the local computer.
If the Internet security strategy of the browser indicates that the ActiveX plug-in may be installed directly without making the security warning or the subscriber chooses to install the ActiveX plug-in in the local computer under the prompt of the security warning, the ActiveX plug-in downloaded in Step 104 is installed in the local computer in this process.
Thus, the existing procedure of selectively installing a webpage plug-in is completed.
Although the conventional method above ensures the security of using the ActiveX plug-in and allows the subscriber to choose whether to install the webpage plug-in in the webpage according to his/her need, in case that the network traffic is relatively high while the network speed is not so high, if the subscriber browses a webpage containing a webpage plug-in, the download of the plug-in will block the webpage and lower the speed of browsing the webpage. In addition, in order to determine whether the subscriber desires to install the webpage plug-in, a security warning window has to be popped up to inquire of the subscriber whether to install the plug-in, which disturbs the subscriber who does not need the plug-in and makes the procedure less convenient.